A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night | Review

Iranian-American film director Ana Lily Amirpour’s unusual vision of the Vampire genre, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, features a skateboard-riding vampiress and awkward long pauses. Nice.

6 Thoughts about Fast & Furious 6

Once upon a time, a dude named Tayne stole the honor of writing “Five Thoughts About Fast Five” from Sir Morpiedra himself. And, now, the tradition continues, as I – Sahar – have commandeered the Fast & Furious 6 mini-review from Tayne. (HAH! So, eat it!) Very graciously, I might add.

Five thoughts about Fast Five

Once upon a time, Morpiedra promised the editor a brief write-up about Fast5. A million years later, the article still hasn’t happened. Having recently gained access to HBO, I stumbled on this movie among the OnDemand choices and finally got a chance to watch it. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve seen all of the films in this franchise. Also, I’m unashamed to say that I like most of them. Maybe it’s because the films are popcorn fare, so they get a pass. Maybe it’s because I’ve always liked cars. I was never a tuner, but anyone else frequent New Carrolton Metro in the early 2000s? Maybe it’s because, as an Asian American man, I’m always hoping for more POC (people of color) on the silver screen. So while Morpie (pronounced more-pee) roams the great yonder doing his hermit thing, I’m taking the reins of this write up as well as stealing a page from his book (with his blessing) to scribble five thoughts on Fast5 (Justin Lin, 2011). Enjoy.

Prometheus: Like Watching a Huge Bonfire

An hour  before midnight last night, I stepped in to a 505 person capacity IMAX theater to watch the premiere of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Although I was an hour early, the theater was already about 60% full, and by the time the movie started, there were nary, if any seats open.

So as the lights dimmed and film rolled, it felt as if we had all just strapped in to a journey far away from this little rock called earth.

Review // The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods represents a new, albeit peculiar, breed of twists to the horror genre.  It’s a movie about a certain archetype of movie, and as such, it’s an especially difficult film to review.

Five Thoughts About Drive

Drive Yourself Morose with Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn

After writing that Kentucky Fried Christianity piece, I told IHL Editor Richie that my next review/commentary would be for Justin Lin’s Fast Five (2011). Said piece has yet to be written. This is, in part, because I recently encountered and became enamored with another Lin film: Finishing the Game (2007). An article that addresses both will come eventually.

In the meanwhile, lest I become known as the dude who only likes to talk about old-ass films, here are my thoughts about a slightly more-recent film: Drive (2011).

Film Review // Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Directed by Brad Bird / Release (Wide): Dec 21, 2011 / R, 2 hr. 13 min.

Ratatouille and The Incredibles may not be my favorite Pixar films, but they are great nonetheless. I thought Warner Bros. Animation’s Iron Giant (released 1999) to be on par with these, if not better. These films are each tender in their presentation, but exciting to watch. The characters are full of whimsical personality, and still manage to carry dramatic weight under difficult circumstances. Those films have heart.

Why am I talking about those films? Because they are the three films that director Brad Bird took on prior to helming current blockbuster Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Say what?